How to wash latex costumes
The liquid clothing look is IN - but now you need to know how to care for it. Wash it too aggressively, and your piece could deteriorate and fall apart onstage. Wash it with the wrong thing, and ruin the color or kill its shine.
Here are 10 tips for keeping latex garments looking amazing:
Hand wash only. Never ever ever ever put a latex piece in the washing machine.
Never use a metal hanger. Same goes for jewelry - any type of metal will discolor the latex. After you’ve hand-washed it, you need to let it hang dry on either a plastic or wooden hanger.
Run your hand between all the layers once the garment is dry - they tend to stick together. Once you’re sure they’re all unstuck, take a makeup brush and lightly brush baby powder on the layers.
Bonus latex tips:
Avoid sunlight as much as you can - ultraviolet light breaks down latex and removes its shine
Avoid oils - oils will leave grease marks on latex clothing.
Use a water-based silicon spray, or a silicon-based lubricant to make it shine!
Always use liquid laundry detergent.
Never dry clean
Keep it away from metals - whether this is hooks and eyes, underwire, or jewelry. Most metals will discolor the latex.
